"Nijika?"
Golden side ponytail, and the iconic curly ahoge on top of her head, plus a sunny and cheerful smile.
All these elements together formed the Great Angel of Shimokitazawa—Ijichi Nijika.
"Oh, so Ryou is here too?", After seeing the blue-haired girl behind her carrying bags big and small, Kaito casually added another comment.
"Am I some kind of weird bonus item?", Lazy Ryou couldn't help but retort. Her expression, initially a bit hopeless, clearly showed she hadn't expected that being dragged out by Nijika as a laborer would result in such an unexpected encounter.
But...
Her golden eyes glanced subtly at the unfamiliar brown-haired girl. From the blue eyes to the high nose bridge, and then to the delicate cherry-blossom-pink lips. Undoubtedly a top-tier beauty well above the average line, especially with that gentle and mature aura, which was a total killer to young boys.
Lazy Ryou's gaze briefly lingered on her chest area to confirm her impression, 'This was a fearsome opponent comparable to Bocchi!'
'No... even more terrifying than Bocchi!'
After all, the socially anxious and introverted Bocchi didn't have the courage to take the initiative. No matter how good her figure was, she had no space to showcase it. No seductive charm, even more timid, clearly not a heroine.
"This is Nagasaki Soyo."
Kaito briefly introduced everyone, "Ijichi Nijika, Yamada Ryou, both are my friends."
"Ijichi-san, and Yamada-san, good day to you," Soyo gently tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, smiling warmly, her voice also sweet, "Nice to meet you, I'm Nagasaki Soyo. Please take care of me."
'W-Where did this young lady come from?'
Nijika was a bit flustered. This was the first time in real life she'd heard someone greet her with the word "good day."
Every move of the other girl, even her sweet voice, was full of ladylike elegance. She looked like a proper heiress from a noble family. In contrast, she and Ryou were no different from some countryside bumpkins who had just come into the city.
'No, maybe I am the only bumpkin? After all, Ryou's family own a private hospital, calling her a young lady might actually be true?'
That she was always broke and eating grass was simply because she dumped all her pocket money into buying musical instruments. Spending hundreds of thousands of yen on a bass at the drop of a hat, it would be strange if she could actually save money.
"N-Nagasaki-san, good afterno~", Her brain swirling with thoughts, Nijika waved her hand, trying to act as naturally as possible.
"Good afternoon," Lazy Ryou also greeted in turn.
She remained calm, 'Instead of mentally exhausting myself, why not just CPU (overpower) the others? So what if she's a rich girl? My family's not poor either.'
Looking at the snack platter filled to the brim on the table, the blue-haired girl pondered for two seconds, then seriously asked, "So many snacks, do you need my help to share the load?"
Lazy Ryou was still the same old lazy Ryou.
Kaito spread his hands, "I don't mind, but today is Soyo's day, she's the host who gets to decide."
"Sure~", Nagasaki Soyo clasped her hands together, her smile still gentle, "Actually, having Yamada-san and Ijichi-san here is really helpful. I was just worrying that it would be such a waste if we couldn't finish all this..."
This was a lie.
A rare alone date was broken just like that, of course Soyo wasn't happy. Especially since the two unexpected lightbulbs were both charming girls.
But they were already here. She couldn't just bluntly say, "No, you're in the way," right?
If she really drove them off, it would only leave Kaito with the impression that she was "willful and rude."
Since the outcome couldn't be changed, she had to at least take control of the process to favor herself.
Compared to the shameless foxes outside, the two girls before her were clearly more threatening.
The girl with the yellow side ponytail was cheerful and sunny, and the girl with the blue short hair was cool and emotionless. Though their personalities differed, they were equally stunning, girls who'd catch anyone's eye at a glance.
But after letting her gaze briefly settle on their chests, Soyo quickly regained her confidence.
Eagle-eye needlepoint judgment: 'Even together they're no match for me.'
———
"So, Soyo-san is actually a student at Tsukinomori? I've heard that all the girls who go there are true-blue rich young ladies~"
Maybe between girls of similar age, making friends really was this easy.
Though it was their first time meeting, they got close quickly, and before long were already calling each other by name.
"It's really not that exaggerated~", Soyo lightly twirled a strand of brown hair around her slender index finger and smiled as she said, "Like me, I'm just a regular girl~"
"Soyo-san, you're too modest," Nijika waved her hand, her wine-colored eyes full of envy. If she hadn't heard Soyo personally confirm that she was still in school, she wouldn't have believed that they were about the same age. Soyo looked so mature, like a young widow who had just lost her husband.
"By the way, I really didn't expect to run into you guys here," Next to her, Lazy Ryou picked up two pieces of karaage chicken, dipped them in salad dressing, popped them in her mouth, chewed a few times, and said through a full mouth, "Is this a date or something?"
That question immediately caught Nijika's attention.
She'd also been curious but was too shy to ask. Thankfully, Ryou was here.
"It's not a date, just hanging out together," Kaito pulled out a napkin and casually handed it across the table to Ryou, sighing, "You, on the other hand, can't you eat a little slower? No one's going to steal your food, aren't you afraid of choking?"
"Sorry, my bad," The blue-haired girl took the tissue, wiped the white sauce at the corner of her mouth, and solemnly said, "How about this. Nijika, go to the counter and buy a glass of freshly squeezed iced lemon juice. I will punish myself with a drink for my recklessness."
Nijika let out a laugh and a sigh, "Can't I just forgive you?"
But Ryou shook her head and declared righteously, "But I can't forgive myself."
In the end, Nijika still went to the counter and bought four cups of freshly squeezed juice.
She first handed one each to Kaito and Soyo, then passed the lemon juice to Ryou. The great angel rolled her eyes at her, "Happy now?"
"Nijika, love~"
"Don't suddenly come so close, you idiot!"
Just spoil her already.
Finally, she understood why Lazy Ryou always apologized after being scolded by Nijika, yet still dared to repeat her behavior next time.
A doting mother raises a spoiled daughter, ancient wisdom never lies.
Nijika looked a bit shy. That was just her nature, always hard-mouthed and soft-hearted when it came to Ryou.
Seeing her so embarrassed, Soyo smiled and changed the subject, "Kaito-kun helped me with something really big before. Today's outing was just to express my thanks."
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